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Next time you hear someone say that racism no longer exists in America, just direct them to these benighted comments made by two prominent college football coaches during this past week (and thanks to Offwing for their discussion):
"[T]he black athlete has made a big difference. They have changed the whole tempo of the game. Black athletes have just done a great job as athletes and as people in turning the game around." Joe Paterno, Penn State Head Football Coach, 11/4/2005
Then there is this beauty:
"[Texas Christian University] had a lot more Afro-American players than we did and they ran a lot faster than we did. Afro-American kids can run very well. That doesn't mean that Caucasian kids and other descents can't run, but it's very obvious to me that they run extremely well." Fisher DeBerry, Air Force Head Football Coach, 10/28/2005 (after loss to Texas Christian University)
You would hope that these comments were made in 1955 instead of 2005, but they weren't. And you would hope that they were made by socially-irrelevant persons instead of high-profile, supposedly father-figure types for parents to send their 18-year old sons to learn from, but they weren't.
These comments illuminate the broader notion that the college game is anything but the romanticized image often portrayed in film and by those who have financial stakes in seeing players not enter pro leagues. There is racism at the highest of levels. There is crime without deterrence. There is a glaring absence of positive social norms.
In other words, 18-year olds who seek the NBA or NFL may not be doing so merely for monetary reasons. Maybe their parents don't want them to play for coaches who talk about "the black athlete." And maybe their parents don't want them to watch juniors and seniors on the team break the law and suffer no consequence. In other words, maybe it's not just about young men getting rich. In fact, as we saw back in July, there appears to be a correlation between skipping college and not getting in trouble with the law.
And maybe we shouldn't find that conclusion surprising after-all.
Michael McCann (HLS LL.M. '05) is an assistant professor of law at Mississippi College School of Law. He and Greg Skidmore (HLS J.D. '05) run Sports Law Blog: http://sports-law.blogspot.com/.
My wife's father is hessaby as in www.hessaby.com (they stole his cash and put it there) and my mother-in-law family is related by marriage tot the Pakravans., who headed the SAVAKPan Am was nicknamed PanIran as the Shah's family was the largest shareholder. I have extreme amount of details of exactly was going on
from the Iranians wanting him to return their assets to other coup attempts to 6 months before the Shah son pretended he was bankrupt in a public trial, to my wifes relative coming to our house talking about the coup and we did not know they were in Washington DC, to the Iran Contra hearings trial that was going to start Feb 20 th, 1989 to the tipping of the coup to the Iranian govt, ,to something in writing I can prove the coup to the Salamon Rushtie Feb 14th insult to islam to get the people on the street to avoid the coup to the Iranian govt announcement of a coup by 'dissent mullahs' announced at the time to the negiotations between the Bush people involved pretending they were going to make a deal to the 'nice' stories plant in US newspapers at the time (including the Post) as part of the negotation to the fact the bomb had to placed out of London based on the flight path as I worked at USAir at the time creating the flight plans for the 'planes to fly themselves' to overt CIA agents around me at the time to the fact that Bollier, the guy who made the timer for the bomb's wide was IRANIAN and the Libyans told me and said they were not allowed to say... there were 3 witness only.. the main one was trashed.. Bollier and a guy whom said he soldm the Libyan a suitcase in Malta.. hence, one the suitcase guy would be left.. the Libyans did not put up a defence in exchange for evidence to trash the main witness on the stand to what an overt CIA agent told me in the US 4 years later.. etc. etc and the details of several coups to the new World bank (my wie's cousin involved who used to work at the work bank)and US loans starting May 1990 to Iran to the fact that PANAm was shut down 18 months later as they thought it would be targeted again because of the Shah connection (the US airlines go in and out of bankruptcy all the time - this was the one of the first US airlines - an ICON) etc
I also know where the Iranian govt officials have money in the US, Canada and UK; the back door dealing etccall me for details.. Barry Lanza 00 44 1786831554.. My father-in-law was a convicted spy given amnesty